Booking fees on tickets for shows at the Isle of Man's flagship theatre are being abolished.

The £1 fee was introduced for all card sales on tickets costing more than £10 at the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre in May 2010.

Tourism minister David Cretney has axed the fee because he feels charging a fee per ticket is "unfair".

Theatre managers are developing a new system that could bring in fees for each transaction in the future.

A review of the administrative charge was instigated by the minister in response to complaints from the public.

"I feel if the fee can't be applied fairly, it shouldn't be applied at all so I have decided that the best course of action is to abolish the booking fee," said Mr Cretney.

"It is most important that customers are content with our pricing structure and continue to support Villa and Gaiety shows in order that we can continue to stage the quality and variety of concerts and productions people have come to expect."